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Updated: Microsoft Preparing To One-Up AMD's Mantle With New Version of DirectX

Update: An AMD spokesperson has offered this statement: “Yesterday several articles were published that reported that DirectX® and OpenGL are being extended to include closer-to-metal functionality and reduced CPU overhead. AMD supports and celebrates a direction for game development that is aligned with AMD’s vision of lower-level, ‘closer to the metal’ graphics APIs for PC gaming. While industry experts expect this to take some time, developers can immediately leverage efficient API design using Mantle, and AMD is very excited to share the future of our own API with developers at this year’s Game Developers Conference.”

Original Story:

Last year AMD debuted a new application programming interface (API) called Mantle alongside their new Hawaii GPU architecture. Primarily designed to run on discrete Radeon graphics cards and their new Kaveri APUs, Mantle was designed to give game developers a means to work more closely with the GPU, freeing up some of the CPU’s workload and generally extracting more performance from a Radeon graphics card than was typically possible with Microsoft'sMicrosoft's popular DirectX.

Shortly after Mantle was announced, Microsoft appeared to have its collective feathers ruffled. On the Windows App Builder blog, Microsoft adopted a defensive posture, pointing out that the Xbox One would not utilize Mantle since the new console had its own low-level API called Direct3D 11.X. When AMD evangelized Mantle early on, they would use words like “cross-platform” and explained how the API would simplify porting next-generation console games to PC.

Microsoft issues a subtle ‘Come at me, bro’ to AMD’s Mantle

Perhaps there’s a rivalry playing out behind closed doors, and perhaps not. What we now know for certain thanks to The Tech Report is that Microsoft has a March 20th session at the upcoming Game Developers Conference (GDC) called “DirectX: Evolving Microsoft’s Graphics Platform.” And the session description raised my eyebrows.

“For nearly 20 years, DirectX has been the platform used by game developers to create the fastest, most visually impressive games on the planet.”

Interpretation: We’re the established API. Developers are comfortable with us. There’s no room for newcomers.

The description of the GDC session continues with a very perceptible nod to AMD:

“However, you asked us to do more. You asked us to bring you even closer to the metal and to do so on an unparalleled assortment of hardware. You also asked us for better tools so that you can squeeze every last drop of performance out of your PC, tablet, phone and console. Come learn our plans to deliver.”

Interpretation: You took a strong first step, AMD, but we’ll show you how it’s done, and make it a bit more platform-agnostic to the benefit of everyone.

See, during AMD’s initial promotional outreach for Mantle, the phrase “close to the metal” was bandied about liberally. (This was used to express developer desire to extract more performance from the GPU, and talk to it more directly.) Everything about Microsoft’s description for this GDC session seems to be calling out AMD and sounding a battle cry.

To be clear, Mantle is in its infancy. While AMD does have the staunch support of developers like DICE, Eidos-Montréal, and Oxide Games, they’ll need to elevate Mantle’s visibility and show the world even more developer support. Especially since Microsoft seems driven to appeal to game developers across Xbox One, PC, tablets, and smartphones with what I have to assume is the imminent reveal of DirectX 12.

By the way, March will signal an explosion of activity in the GPU market, so keep it locked right here. Continue the conversation by following me on Twitter and Facebook, or subscribe to my Forbes RSS feed.

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So, AMD pushes innovation at MSFT and once again will be punished for it. Too bad monopoly always trumps innovation. IF they wouldn’t have created Mantle, does anyone think MSFT would get off their lazy duffs and re-write DirectX? Hardly. That’s why I no longer use ANY MSFT related products or software; if I can’t find it somewhere other than MSFT, I don’t need it…. I won’t do business with those who stifle innovation. More disruptive tech, please….

I am fully capable of reading without your interpretations. And I’m sure that most other folks are too. After all this is Forbes NOT Motley Fool.

XBOX is using a Microsoft API that is obviously better than DirectX 11 so your not telling us anything new.

However Microsoft is aslo NOT a member of HSA and DirectX and it’s derivatives will not be able to take advantage of GCN hardware.

They would also have to be very careful NOT to violate Mantle’s patents. There is only so many ways that instructions can be written to the GPU.

So before you start waving your arms shouting that Microsoft just one-upped Mantle, lets wait and see shall we? I find it highly unlikely for several reasons; 1. If DirectX was “upgradeable” why didn’t it happen before now? I can think of several besides Microsfot didn’t have a clue that Mantle was as good as it is.

AMD silicon was DirectX11 capable for almost a year before Intel and nVidia followed suit. You see Intel needs to tune it’s compiler to keep Intel/nVidia silicon performing better than AMD silicon. Then it needs to tune it’s complier to keep Intel silicon performing even better than nVidia.

2. The XBOX API is not as good as Mantle. Not that it’s natively inferior, the problem is Windows itself.

That is why the Sony API running on FreeBSD outperfroms XBOX.

How des Microsoft make money on Direct X? That’s a lot of work just for a Windows App. How does AMD make money on Mantle? Hmmm, maybe because they can sell more silicon.

This is my interpretation.

Micirosoft is sounding like a Politician pontificating Campaign Promises. And they so far have delivered NOTHING BUT PLANS.

So when the vapor ware actually exists Jason Evangelho and it’s been benchmarked and it’s been found to be superior, then and only then can your headline be something more than the hyperbole that it is.

Microsoft has to be very carefull about how it releases it’s new API. Intel is very sensitive about it’s silicon being the sequential bottleneck that it is for high performance graphics. ATI recognised this before it seduced AMD to acquire it almost 7 years ago and in fact Mantle was predicted if not actually named, howver the term APU was coined back then.

Offloading work to an nVidia GPU to increase overall compute performance is not what Intel wants to do. Intel doesn not want the GPU to be the winner here.

What Intel wants to do is go it alone in the GPU environment so Microsoft releasing a prodcut that emphasizes the necessity of GPU perfromance is not what Intel wants at this time as they cannot benefit by it. The API does NOT increase CPU perfromance but rather GPU performance. It actually highlights the inefficiencies of the CPU.

And quite likely Intel HD graphics will be the biggest looser of all. AMD has nothing to worry about here. AMD APU’s are superb and Microsoft is married to them for the next 7 years or longer if the Jaguar APU evolves.

So, Microsoft won’t update DX for years, and now all of a sudden you think they will “one up” AMD’s API? Do your “honest” reviews include unbiased opinion?

And you think that will come out anytime soon? How did you feel about nVidia making their own API called nvapi so they could make their stuff work better on the games that came out supporting it? An API that they only just released openly, because they were using behind the scenes with developers to screw AMD.

So what drives Microsoft to THINK about doing something, or nVidia to be more open? Because the industry asked for something standard that actually works, and AMD delivered.

Now this article feels wrong seeing that AMD tweeted this, “Sign-up for “Direct3D & the Future of Graphics APIs” on March 20, learn about our partnership with @Microsoft #AMDGDC”. So this doesn’t mean that Microsoft are going to kill off Mantle, they might just partner with AMD and this is fantastic news for AMD and PC gaming.

I definitely prefer your optimism, but it doesn’t mean ANYTHING until we see the actual results of said partnership. Remember when AMD said Mantle would work on Xbox One and then Microsoft refuted it? There is nothing but tension and half-truths here until proven otherwise.

GDC 2014: Completely different because it is not called Mantle, just ask MS PR”

http://bit.ly/1iiQMrB

Charlie Dermajian is not often wrong.

Developing Mantle would be an asset only if AMD could gain a critical mass, if you will, of game developers. That is why the console wins where a necessity almost at any cost, or certainly at reduced margins.

I can remember when folks rolled their eyes when AMD commented that XBOX would have Avatar-like graphics. Well with Mantle or a low level API they will.

This also scares the bejeazous out of Intel who is all about maintaining the primacy of the CPU which is becoming the bottleneck for high performance graphics. This was also predicted by ATI in 2006 and is the concept behind how ATI seduced AMD into acquiring them and why AMD pioneered the APU. Mantle also eliminates the mid price point market for discrete graphics cards. The majority of the gaming market is not bleeding edge enthusiasts but rather those folks would would rather pay $80 for an APU from AMD that can compete easily with a Intel/NVidia pairing costing several times that. Intel HD graphics are a non-competitive joke and aren’t even a consideration. This is probably the source of the rumour that NVidia may retreat from consumer graphics silicon entirely.

Hence the end of DirectX; now Intel will not have Microsoft to create the great equalizer called DirectX. And for Microsoft to make XBOX competitive they are going to have to adopt Mantle or suffer the consequences. Hence DirectX12 = Mantle. Why else would AMD already announce support for an API that doesn’t exist yet?

“AMD Demonstrates Full Support for DirectX 12 at Game Developer Conference

Today, AMD announced support for Microsoft and its revamped graphics application programming interface, DirectX 12, a new “console-like” version of the graphics API that has inspired PC gaming for nearly two decades. During the Microsoft-sponsored panel, DirectX: Evolving Microsoft’s Graphics Platform, AMD revealed that it will support DirectX 12 on all AMD Radeon GPUs that feature the Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture.”

http://bit.ly/1r32OtR

Clearly DirectX 12 is Mantle that is dummied down to be compatible with NVidia GPU. Of course AMD had fully supported Direct X 11 almost a year before Intel or NVidia.

The gaming industry is all about the visual experience as well as a great story. A good story that looks bad will not sell.

The old fighter pilot adage comes to mind here; “he’d rather die looking good than live looking bad.”

The game developers are going to line up behind Mantle as they can not afford not too.